


Advanced Family Patch - Reunions and Introductions

by YeahWhoCares



Series: Patches [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Gen, Heaven, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 17:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17248118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YeahWhoCares/pseuds/YeahWhoCares
Summary: After the events of "Family Patch" John finds the courage to speak to one of the sons he failed in life.





	Advanced Family Patch - Reunions and Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read the previous three parts of the series, and to the subscribers and bookmarkers who've patiently waited for me to update the series.  
> These updates are done as and when I have the time and inspiration to write and post, but I do appreciate every single reader.
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this short one, an advance on your Family Patch.

Once Samandriel left, no one seemed to know what to do with themselves. Hearing about the boys, and how well life was for them now, was comforting to everyone, but the pain they had suffered to get to that point weighed heavily on everyone. John and Mary were aware that it was their faults and lies that lead the boys to live this life, how different would it have been if Mary told John about her life from the start? How better would it have been if John had accepted the help offered to him from Pastor Jim and Missouri, and later Bobby?

 

John sighed, turning to look around the room, he stopped on Adam, another child he had failed. The boy he thought he was protecting by leaving. John regretted every day he stayed away from Adam and Kate. She didn’t deserve to be left to raise him on her own, and Adam didn’t deserve to grow up with the stigma of having a run-away father and a single mother. 

 

John knew what it was like being raised by a single mother, kids picked on you and adults sneered at you and your mom for not having a ‘stable family’. He also knew how hard it was to raise children without a partner. The fear of reaching out for help, in case you were thought you were unift.

 

He kept him from his own brothers, something Sam and Dean might never forgive him for, knowing how much they wanted a bigger family beyond the three of them. He hoped his two older boys would be willing to hear him out when they got to Heaven once their time was up, but would understand if this was something they couldn’t let go.

 

Taking a deep breath, John headed over to the corner Adam had settled himself in, taking his youngest in as he walked. Adam looked thoughtful, but he also looked sad. John imagined hearing that the brothers you thought hated you, actually loved and mourned you, and all the time you spent hating them was for false reasons. John understood that he was to blame for Adam originally believing Sam and Dean hated him.

 

Sitting down across from Adam, John took a moment just to bask in the closeness, since Adam would move every time John got within reach - not that he blamed him, he just missed his son. 

 

Adam looked up when he heard someone taking the seat facing him, not surprised to see it was his father. John Winchester, the man he spent his life loving and hating at the same time, the man who didn’t hate him, just a man in a fucked up situation who did the best he could with the little he had. Keeping Sam and Dean with him had been a protective move, of course he loved them, but leaving them with someone else wouldn’t have been an option for John, since the demon killed Mary in the home the boys lived in. Leaving Adam and his mom alone, except for the odd visit every few months, had been decided under the same reasoning John used with the way he raised Sam and Dean. Protection, love, and fear. Now, he was just living in one large grey cloud of regret over his head.

 

“Hi, Jo-dad” Adam said, deciding that they had sat in silence long enough.

 

John smiled, happy to hear Adam’s voice without anger laced through it “hi Adam, listen son, you don’t need to call me dad if you’re not comfortable, or not used to it, ‘John’ is fine.” 

 

Adam smiled, and his shoulders relaxed slightly “thanks, I’ve called you John the entire time I’ve known you it feels strange to call you anything else.”

 

John nodded. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped resting under his chin. How do you explain a lifetime of fuck ups to one of the people they impacted on? 

 

“Look Adam, I need to say some things to you. I am not looking for sympathy, I do understand why you hate me, but I’d still like you to hear me out before you leave or say anything.”

 

Adam straightened in his seat, wondering if his dad would be honest, or if he would say some bullshit line about “keeping them safe”.

 

Taking a deep breath, John let everything sitting in his mind and heart out “I’ve been in Heaven for a while now and, it may have taken a few years but, I have managed to mellow out emotionally. I’ve learned how to look beyond the black and white of hunting, and accept that the way I acted was wrong.

I also understand that I was a bad father, to all of you. The way I raised Sam and Dean was horrible, but so was the way I abandoned you and your mom.

I loved, still love, your brothers, they were all I had left from my life with Mary. My sweet little boys who I had to watch grow up without their mother. I failed to save my wife that night, so I thought I had to do everything to keep them alive, even if they ended up hating me.

When I met Kate, she was so different from Mary, I thought I’d never love anyone after Mary, but your mom had something about her that pulled me in. I adored her, and leaving felt like the only choice. I was so scared that if I stayed she’d end up dead too.

she even offered to take your brothers in, while I continued hunting, after I told her I was leaving. I felt like a failure, like she thought I couldn’t take care if them, so I said no. I realised that I was wrong not leaving them, they’d have loved you both so much. Dean would have enjoyed another baby brother to watch over, and Sammy would have adored not being the youngest and having a baby brother of his own to be the hero for - like Dean was for him. Maybe their lives would have turned out better? Maybe you and your mom would be alive?

I suppose I’ll never know, and I know I sound like I’m making up excuses but I’ve had my eyes opened and needed you to know everything I realised. I also need you to know that no matter how much I love Mary, Dean and Sam, I will  _ alway  _ love you and your mom. You both mean the world to me, and more, and I can’t imagine a world without you both. You’ll always be welcome here, as well as your mom, with everyone, especially Mary and me. Mary loves you, just from what she heard from me, and what she has seen of you in Heaven.”

 

John, finished talking for now, leaned back and took a deep breath, allowing Adam time to process everything.

 

He watching his son’s face remain impassive for, what felt like hours but was probably only ten minutes. John’s felt a weight settle in his stomach, fear. Fear that his son wouldn’t be able to accept John, not that he had high hope for acceptance - he fucked up all their lives, and didn’t deserve redemption. He was still in shock, still after all these years, that Mary willingly took him back, after months upon months of deep talks about Mary’s secrets and her family’s life after her death. a throat being cleared brought him out of his thoughts, looking up he could see Adam had taken the same position he had when he first started talking - sitting straight with his hands clasped under his chin.

 

Taking a deep breath, John nodded to his youngest to show he was listening.

 

“Look John” Adam started, taking a deep breath and blowing it out before continuing “I’m not stupid, most of the stuff you told me? I had figured that out myself - why you left, and why you took Sam and Dean with you and kept us seperated. I didn’t realise you loved my mom though. I knew you loved me, somewhere deep down under all that rage and heartbreak. I used to watch you out the window when you pulled up to come visit, you could hear that beast of a car like 4 blocks away, so I was always waiting at my bedroom window for you. I would watch you pull up, then sit in the car for another 5 or so minutes. The first few times I seen you, I couldn’t figure out what you were doing, then I realised mom would do that when she had a bad shift at work and was trying to push it down in order to show me her happier side, not the tired, overworked nurse she had just been.

When I realised you were doing the same - pushing down all the bad crap you had seen at whatever “dangerous job” you had - that’s when I knew you loved me back. That’s when I knew you weren’t visiting out of some false sense of obligation you felt you had as a father, but that you were visiting because you genuinely loved me. That was also the first time I agreed to go fishing with you. When we got back, mom asked me about my change of heart, and when I told her what I had figured out she just hugged me and called me a good boy.

I get that we can’t just jump straight into a normal “father and son” relationship - whatever that is - but I would like to spend more time with you, Mary and your family.”

 

Adam leaned back, done with his speech. He let out a laugh, and when John looked up confused, he said “sorry, I just realised we both had a long speech for each other. I sure hope we don’t have to do this with everyone we talk to.”

 

John laughed too, realising Adam was right “shit boy, I’ve done two of these so far and don’t think my emotions could take another deep talk like those.”

 

Settling down, John leaned over the table to grasp Adam’s hand “thank you son, for hearing me out and for talking to me, and for wanting to see me now that we’ve aired everything out.”

 

Patting his dad’s hand, Adam nodded “no problem John, maybe we could start again by reintroducing me to Mary?” he offered, almost bashfully, reminding John of the young boy who would hang on his every word when they would spend time together.

 

“Absolutely” John grinned, dragging Adam up from the table “I’ll also re-introduce you to everyone else that you missed out on when you were younger.”

 

Walking hand in hand across the bar to the corner Mary had settled herself in to, to watch them talk, John grinned as he got close to his wife.

 

Clearing his throat, John stopped in front of Mary, grinning brighter that she had seen in years “Mary, I’d like to introduce you to my son, Adam Milligan. Adam, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, and the mother of your brothers, Mary Campbell Winchester. Mary, Adam’s mom Kate is a wonderful woman who I hope will visit one day in the future, as I would love to introduce you to her.”

 

Mary smiled brightly, tears filling her eyes “hi Adam, it’s wonderful to meet you. You look so much like I thought Dean would look grown up, when he was a toddler” she said breathless and awed, holding her hand out to shake. Adam smiled at John before knocking Mary’s hand away and swept her into a hug. John stood to the side, allowing them their moment, wiping tears from his eyes. His family was starting to come back together again, but he’d gladly wait a thousand more years if it meant Sam and Dean could live long happy lives now that things had settled on Earth.

 

“It’s an honor to meet you Mary.” he whispered, silently sending a prayer to Samandriel  _ ‘thank you Samandriel, for bringing us together’ _ .

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who got this far! Cookies for everyone.
> 
> This one was tough to write. I've never focused so much on John or Adam, but I did enjoy the challenge.
> 
> I have 7 or 8 more prompts I am hoping to write, but some of them might take longer, or be too complicated to get out as a story.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much!
> 
> Drop a comment if you have any ideas for future fics you'd like to see.
> 
> Much love.


End file.
